Open ATH-Weaves, also known as Body-tracing ATH-Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「開掌繞頭」, is an open grip technique. ATH stands for Around The Head.

In Open ATH-Weaves, the hand and the fan move around the head. The hand rotates around the user’s Z-axis, which means moving from in front of the chest, past the side of the ear, behind the head, to the other side of the ear, and then back in front of the chest. The fan rotates around the user’s Y-axis, which means it moves in a plane that extends along the contours of the face. Pay careful attention to head safety during practice.

In rare cases, the Open ATH-Weaves can be performed as a ATH-Open Weaves by keeping the hand in a fixed position. These two can be considered different techniques, but the ATH-Open Weaves is generally regarded as a useless technique.

The key to this technique lies in the trajectory, staying close to the head and close to the body to reduce the rotation range. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a frontal view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with thumb lead first, then with pinky lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations is Half CAPs (refer to CAPs for more detailed introduction).

Closed Cross-Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「閉掌側轉」, is a closed grip technique. Closed Cross-Weaves demands a high degree of wrist flexibility and the ability to utilize inertia, clearly making it a technique not recommended for beginners. However, as a key piece of the puzzle in achieving seamless planar motion, without any dead angles, this technique can be considered a golden key to advancing to more complex levels.

Closed Cross-Weaves is essentially performing an Open Weaves with the hand on the non-native side of the body. When starting practice, try understanding this technique by turning your body: start with a Open Weaves facing backwards, then continue to do Open Weaves while the body slowly rotates 180 degrees towards the direction of the arm, achieving the Closed Cross-Weaves.

Next, try performing a 4b Closed Cross-Weaves: start with a Weaves, and while spinning, move the arm across the front of the body to the non-native side, completing one Closed Cross-Weaves before returning to the native side. During the motion, the fan rotates four times, making it a 4b Closed Cross-Weaves. After ample practice, try to directly continue performing the Closed Cross-Weaves on the non-native side.

The key to this technique lies in maintaining stability. The twisting of the wrist and arm makes it difficult for the fan surface to remain parallel to the body in certain positions. Keeping a stable angle as much as possible helps facilitate smooth rotation, and the more visible the fan surface. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a frontal view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with thumb lead first, then with pinky lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations is Closed Anti-spin Fountain (refer to Fountain Family for more detailed introduction).

Closed BTB-Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「閉掌背轉」, is a closed grip technique. BTB stands for Behind The Back. The Closed BTB-Weaves is the last of the eight core techniques (which include open grip and closed grip versions of Weaves, Cross-Weaves, BTB-Weaves, and ATH-Weaves). However, it is extremely difficult, rarely used, leading to poor practicality.

Closed BTB-Weaves is essentially performing an Open Weaves while extending the hand from behind to the non-native side of the body. In practical applications, this technique is mostly used with a Weaves and typically not performed in succession. When starting practice, try using the guidance of the other hand and the assistance of interia to performing a 4b Closed BTB-Weaves: start with a Weaves, and while spinning, move the arm across the front of the body to the non-native side, completing one BTB-Weaves before returning to the native side. During the motion, the fan rotates four times, making it a 4b Closed BTB-Weaves.

The key to this technique lies in the use of inertia. The twisting of the wrist and arm in certain positions is completely counterintuitive to ergonomics. It’s important to relax control over the fan as much as possible and introduce the concept of rotation, allowing the fan to rotate along its trajectory by inertia. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a rear view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with thumb lead first, then with pinky lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations is Closed Butterfly Meltdown (refer to Closed Meltdown for more detailed introduction).